BLOG TOUR: The Care of Broken Things by October Arden (Excerpt & Giveaway + Character Interview)

BLOG TOUR – NEW RELEASE

Book Title: The Care of Broken Things

Author and Publisher: October Arden

Release Date: August 1, 2025

Tense/POV: Third person, past tense, single POV

Genres: Contemporary MMM prison romance (leans into literary with a strong romantic core)

Tropes: Grumpy/sunshine, found family, hurt/comfort, healing from grief, obsessive devotion, fake dating, prison husband, marriage of convenience, wrongfully imprisoned, morally gray characters, polyamory that heals

Themes: Trauma recovery, self-loathing to self-worth, redemption through love, the violence of tenderness

Heat Rating: 2 out of 5

Length: 82 000 words/320 pages

It is a standalone book and does not end on a cliffhanger.

Goodreads

Buy Links – Available in Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US | Amazon UK

Some loves rewrite your sentence

Blurb

Samuel has spent years building walls.
Not the prison’s concrete ones, but the kind that keep lives from bleeding into each other. As the prison’s self-appointed librarian, he’s carved out a fragile peace where silence is his shield. The inmates call him The Ice Queen—a title he wears like armor. After a lifetime of being preyed upon, he knows better than to let anyone close.
Then Eli arrives like sunlight through bulletproof glass.
A wrongfully convicted pediatrician, and unbearably kind, Eli is everything Samuel knows to avoid, so when he steps in to protect the man, it’s supposed to be a one-time act of mercy.
But Eli’s husband has another plan.
Nathaniel—who looks at Samuel like he’s something more than a convict—makes a request that shatters everything:
“Be his prison husband. Love him where I can’t.”
It’s a lie that should be easy. Samuel’s an expert at deception. But the longer he plays the role, the more the lines blur: Eli’s warmth seeping into his frozen bones, Nathaniel’s quiet strength, the whispered secrets of Eli’s daughter who trusts only him.
Now the man who built his life on solitude hoards these moments like contraband.
Some loves rewrite your sentence.

A devastating queer romance about the families we carve from our own ribs, and the love that refuses to let us stay broken.

Excerpt

Twenty minutes later he kicked Eli’s bed. It had been a day and a half since the library incident, and he hadn’t spoken a word to him since. He’d thought Eli’s perseverance would continue, but maybe the man was learning about personal space. He knew he ought to be happy about that, but the change unnerved him. He didn’t like things that didn’t come with explanations.

Eli didn’t open his eyes. “Hi, Samuel.”

“How’d you know it was me?”

“Your particular brand of hospitality.” The man paused. “Also, you smell like Reese’s cups.”

“You can smell that from here?”

He took a somewhat discreet sniff of himself, but all he could detect was the shitty prison detergent.

“Hunger sharpens the sense.”

He was appalled. “You still haven’t—It’s been 48 hours!”

“I’ve done 100 hour fasts before.”

That boggled the mind. “Why?”

“To rest my gut after glutenings, mostly,” Eli said. “Why is it that you can ask questions of me, but won’t answer any of mine?”

True to form, he ignored the question and upended his new purchases onto the bed. Eli’s eyes sprang open. “What—”

“No more fasting.”

Eli picked up one of the packages on his chest. Sardines.

“They’ve got Omega 3’s, right? That’s good for inflammation. There’s some salmon there, too, in those pouches.”

Eli sat up. Packages and pouches slithered off him and onto the bedspread.

Suddenly nervous, Samuel found himself rambling. “I wasn’t sure if your commissary account was up and running yet, and the stuff I gave you before were things you couldn’t eat, so I—”

The man was smiling. Not smirking, not grinning—and Samuel knew he was in trouble.

“You’re amazing,” Eli said, as if he hadn’t just ruined a man’s life. “Thank you. And you’re right. My commissary account still isn’t linked up yet.”

As if that wasn’t enough, Eli then swept a space clear on the bed and pointed his invitation. It was the smile Samuel would blame later. He sat where indicated, more pliant and cooperative than he’d ever been in his life.

Eli was impressed. “This is a better haul than I was expecting. I might actually survive on this.”

Samuel was beginning to come back to himself. It was easier now that Eli was sorting through the food, like the spell of that smile had been broken—or at least weakened.

“Who’s Nathaniel?”

Eli flashed him a grin. “My murderer-hating husband.” He ripped open a bag of trail mix. “Don’t suppose I could trouble you to eat the M&M’s out of these for me?”

He expected the man to dig in, but Eli only ate an almond, a cashew, and a peanut before setting the package down. That broke his brain a little. “Aren’t you hungry?”

Eli brought the pouch of sardines up to his mouth and ripped it open with his teeth. “Labels are useful, but they’re not foolproof. If I haven’t reacted in half an hour, I’ll eat a little more.”

Samuel knew that if he’d gone more than two days without food, he’d have gnawed his own leg off. “Why didn’t you come to me?”

“Hmm?”

“You knew you couldn’t eat what I bought you, and you knew they’d continue to keep screwing up the special meal thing. So why didn’t you come to me? We could have done this two days ago.”

Eli fished a sardine out with his fingers. The slimy things looked repulsive, and the smell alone was enough to knock someone out. Eli caught him staring and tilted the pouch toward him. “Pardon my rudeness. Would you like some?”

He had to swallow bile. “Your husband’s never going to kiss you again.”

CHARACTER INTERVIEW

NAME OF CHARACTER: SAMUEL FULLER

What impression do you make on people when they first meet you?

People see the size first – I’m tall, broad, blonde. In prison they call me beautiful, though I hate that word. They think I’m dangerous because of what I did to get here, and they’re not wrong. Most keep their distance until they figure out I’m more bark than bite these days.

How about after they’ve known you for a while?

Rat says I’m a “moody bitch” but that I’m loyal. I think people realize I’m not as scary as I look – more like a guard dog than a wolf. Eli calls me his puppy, which should be embarrassing but isn’t.

Tell me about your best friend.

Hailey. She’s eleven and smarter than most adults I know. She writes me letters that keep me sane and doesn’t treat me like a criminal. She says “bros before hoes” about me and her father, which makes me laugh every time.

What’s the most important thing in your life?

Keeping the people I love safe. Jenny sacrificed everything for me, and now I have Eli and Nathaniel and Hailey. I’d die before I let anything happen to them.

Your thoughts on love?

I thought I knew what it was with Mr. Edwards, but that wasn’t love, but sickness. Real love is what Nathaniel gives so freely, what Eli shows in his gentleness, what Jenny proves with her loyalty. It’s terrifying and wonderful and I don’t deserve any of it.

What are you most afraid of?

Losing them. All of them. That one day they’ll realize what I really am and decide I’m not worth the trouble.

What was your first thought when you met Eli?

That he was impossibly beautiful and dangerous. I knew immediately he’d destroy my peace, and I was right.

What would you change about yourself?

My past. The things that were done to me, the things I did. I wish I could come to them clean, without all this damage.

What is your profession?

I don’t have one. I was in school when everything happened. I write stories now – children’s stories mostly, for Hailey. Maybe that could be something someday, though who wants books written by a murderer?

Describe your ideal partner.

I never thought I had one until I met them. Someone gentle but strong, who sees past the damage. Someone who makes me want to be better than I am. Turns out I need two people to complete that picture.

Your greatest extravagance?

Peanut butter. I hoard Skippy like it’s gold. And commissary runs for Eli – I’d spend every penny I have to see him smile.

Is there anything you haven’t done that you want to do?

Live a normal life. Wake up next to the people I love without bars between us. Take Hailey to a zoo. Cook dinner for Nathaniel. Simple things that feel impossible.

Your quirky habits?

I count things obsessively – spoonfuls of peanut butter, days until visits, books on shelves. It keeps me centered. And I save every letter they send me, organized by date.

What quality do you like most in a man/woman?

Honesty. Nathaniel never lies to me, even when the truth hurts. Eli’s the same way.

What trait do you most despise?

Cruelty toward the vulnerable. What The Android did, what Mr. Edwards did – taking advantage of someone who can’t fight back.

What do you value the most?

Trust. It took me years to trust anyone again, and now that I have it with them, I guard it fiercely.

Favorite food

Anything Eli makes. But honestly? Those pancake sandwiches he created with Reese’s cups – pure magic.

What would you consider your perfect night out?

Just being home with all of them. Maybe cooking together, reading while Eli and Nathaniel work in their garden, Hailey showing me her latest bonsai project.

What would you change about the person you fell in love with?

Nothing about who they are. I’d give Eli better health, take away Nathaniel’s anxiety. But their hearts, their souls – perfect as they are.

What do you like most about the person you fell in love with?

Eli’s gentleness despite his size and strength. Nathaniel’s way of loving without conditions or expectations.

About the Author

October Arden writes emotionally raw queer stories that live somewhere between literary fiction and romance. Their work explores fluid identities, found families, co-dependent devotion, and complicated love—often through the lens of characters who are chronically ill, neurodivergent, or quietly self-destructive. These are stories for anyone who’s ever felt unwanted or unseen, where even the most damaged hearts can find a home.

October loves hearing from readers, so feel free to reach out, ask questions, or suggest what you’d like to see next. You can also join the newsletter to stay in touch—and as a thank you, you’ll receive a free copy of Starting with Cake, a quietly unhinged neurodivergent love story full of snack cakes, janitor uniforms, and the kind of care that sneaks up on you. Find out about new books and other extras at octoberarden.com

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